Guilherme Pena Costa and Ingrid Gabor created a lighting system for a standard childs’ swing that uses the motion of the swinger to power strips of LEDs.

A geared motor with an armature is attached to the swing’s chain, and then run through a bridge rectifier before giving juice to the LEDs. The result is an array of lights that respond directly to the motion of the swing. Pumping hard, Guilherme and Ingrid are able to generate between 6-10 volts at 230-400 mA.

In addition to being an online editor for MAKE Magazine, Michael Colombo works in fabrication, electronics, sound design, music production and performance (Yes. All that.) In the past he has also been a childrens’ educator and entertainer, and holds a Masters degree from NYU’s Interactive Telecommunications Program.